A few weeks ago we talked about Starting a Blog and how you can get your blog up and running in 5 steps. One of the things I emphasized was posting consistently, which theoretically will build your readership and drive traffic. However, one thing people don’t talk about is for most, a blog is secondary to our 9-5 jobs. Which takes a lot of time in of itself! Then you layer in life, errands, kids, spouses ect. Where in the heck are you going to find time to blog consistently??
Most people when I go to blogging related events assume that this is what I do full time. But nope, I have a day job/ company to run and it keeps me busy, plus everyday life you kind of wonder where you find time to fit in blogging!
I think most blogs don’t endure as they get pushed aside into the “later” pile of, when I have time, I’ll get to it. It takes a while to get into the groove of making it priority and figuring out where is works for your life. I know I’m constantly adjusting and trying to determine what works for me, but I’ve come up with these pieces of advice to help you get and keep your blogging on track!
Create a Blogging Schedule and Workflow
I struggled with this one the most in the beginning as I think it’s true for all new bloggers. How do I manage to create consistent content, where will I find the time to update all my social media? Well it’s all about carving out a time in the day/ week/ month that works for you and then setting up a process to execute those posts.
For example, I usually start by looking at the month or quarter ahead and laying out blog post “ideas” or content that I want to publish on certain days. Then you want to establish how long it takes you from start to finish to complete a blog post (please include time for photos) and a couple extra hours for buffer. Say it takes you 5 hours from start to finish to complete a blog post, do you want to schedule 1, 3, 5 posts per week? That’s the beauty of it, it’s all based on how much time you have.
However, let’s premise that with, you can always find “time” in your day for anything you are truly excited and passionate about. For years I’ve said, I work best in the early morning on my posts. After a long day at the office, I rarely want to sit and write content- edit pictures and listen to music maybe. Even as I write this post, it’s 6:30 am, my hair is disheveled and I have a robe on with coffee in hand. Glamorous? Maybe not, but it’s my effective time to work on this area of my life.
Set up a Workstation and Avoid Distractions
Trying to blog with laptop on the couch, while the TV is going, or kids are asking for you to watch their latest dance routine is a recipe for non-blogging. Try to find a workspace in your home that you can deem it officially work time when you sit down at the computer. If you don’t have extra space, I find the kitchen table is also a no nonsense area.
It Takes Sacrifices
I always hear- “I’d love to have a blog but I just don’t have the time”. Well as we refer back to creating a blog schedule and workflow, after determining how much time you need to create and publish a post- lets look at where in the day you can find those hours? Does it mean getting up earlier or going to bed later? Working on your blog through your lunch break versus going to grab a bite with co-workers? Or cutting back on those Netflix and Chill hours. It’s all obtainable, it just means sacrificing time spent in other areas.
Batching Blog Posts
I used to make the mistake of working on one post at a time from start to finish. This was very time intensive. Now I look at my blog schedule and try to batch items together for future posts that make sense. Sometimes I’ll shoot multiple outfit posts on a weekend, or figure out some recipes I want to replicate and have a day in the kitchen, either way I try and optimize my creation time so I can keep ahead and create consistent posts!
Find Your Blogger Community
This is one thing I wish I would have done sooner in my blogging journey. I really resisted networking on the blogging front, I didn’t understand the importance of having friends or contacts in the blogging world that could help and create a mechanism to bounce questions or issues that arise on the day to day off of. I also find having a support system of like minded individuals with similar passions helps immensely to keep you motivated and creatively charged. So get out there and build your network!
